Huawei Wants US to Show Clear Evidence to Back Security Allegations

After Germany refused to ban Huawei devices due to a lack of strong evidence to support cyberespionage accusations, Huawei now demands Washington show evidence to support its fears.

“There are no concerns about individual companies,” Peter Altmaier, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, told Reuters on Monday. “But each product, each device must be secure if it is going to be used in Germany.”

The US has led an aggressive international campaign against Huawei and has succeeded in getting Australia, New Zealand and the UK to stop using the devices, while currently pressing Japan, France, Germany and the Czech Republic to consider the threat of Huawei device security.

“Many of our targets communicate over Huawei produced products, we want to make sure that we know how to exploit these products,” reads an NSA document.

“The Huawei revelations are devastating rebuttals to hypocritical US complaints about Chinese penetration of US networks,” wrote former DoD counsel Jack Goldsmith.

A little over a week ago, Canada arrested Huawei’s CFO following a request from the US for alleged fraud charges and business deals that violated international sanctions against Iran, an event which raised tensions with China even more.

Huawei has spent millions on developing its 5G technology, but the current international conflict is affecting its global plans. On Tuesday the company announced it was opening the doors to its labs for reporters in China to refute accusations of espionage, and it denied receiving demands from the Chinese government to give customer network or business information.

“There is no evidence that Huawei poses a threat to the national security of any country,” said Huawei’s rotating Chairman Ken Hu. “Banning a particular company cannot resolve cybersecurity concerns. Huawei’s record is clean. We have confidence in the fairness and independence of the judiciary systems of the countries involved. We look forward to a just conclusion to this matter. If you have proof or evidence, it should be made known. Maybe not to Huawei and maybe not to the public, but to telecom operators, because they are the ones that buy Huawei.”

About the author

Luana PASCU

From a young age, Luana knew she wanted to become a writer. After having addressed topics such as NFC, startups, and tech innovation, she has now shifted focus to internet security, with a keen interest in smart homes and IoT threats. Luana is a supporter of women in tech and has a passion for entrepreneurship, technology, and startup culture.